Fiction | Fantasy

Leap of Faith: Sir Hopsalot’s Maritime Chronicles | Chapter 1 — Thalassophobia

When the tide rises, so must courage

I’ve warned Princess Flufflea a million times, the shore is no place for Cottontalia to settle. Poor child, so naive and innocent. She blindly trusts Elder Whiskerinus.

It’s not my thalassophobia talking. It’s not! The tide would rise, and… well, the letter says it all.

“I can’t,” I tell Whiskerinus, holding it.

“We nabbed the lass,” it reads, written in squid ink.

“You’re the Knight Commander, Sir Hopsalot,” Whiskerinus says, finishing a carrot. “You must!” Orange bits cling to his long whiskers.

He’s tired of me, I know. But how can I face the ocean?

Maybe the snake witch can help.

And thusly, the seed of a new adventure is planted. Let’s check back next week and see if the next chapter has sprouted, and if this story is growing healthily.

Click here to read Chapter 2 — The Talisman of Tranquil Tides

My Score: 24 points

Prompt #1 (Explore a character’s phobia): 2 points

Constraints:
A unique writing method (squid ink): 1 point
The color ORANGE (bits of carrot): 1 point
A tired animal (Elder Whiskerinus is tired of Sir Hopsalot): 1 point
The tide (Sir Hopsalot warned about the tide): 1 point

Hardcore Constraint:
A moment of childlike innocence (Princess Flufflea is so innocent): 2 points
(Kind of a stretch, but I'll let you be the judge. lol)

Literary Device:
Hyperbole (Sir Hopsalot has warned them a million times): 5 points

Seedling Challenge:
Drabble (Stage 1): 10

+1 for the tally box (Thanks Jonathon for the reminder in the comments)

Thanks, Jonathon Sawyer for this Monday Mashup Challenge and Bradan Writes Stories for the Seedling Challenge. I haven’t taken any challenges in a long time, but I couldn’t stay away from this one (these two?).

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